World Courant
Copenhagen, Denmark — A person allegedly attacked Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen in central Copenhagen, native media stated.
Police confirmed on Friday that “an incident has occurred with the Prime Minister” and {that a} 39-year-old man has been arrested. He’s anticipated to be heard on Saturday, police stated.
Authorities supplied no additional particulars and it was not clear whether or not Frederiksen was injured.
The prime minister’s workplace advised Danish state broadcaster DR on Friday that Frederiksen was “shocked” by what occurred.
Two eyewitnesses, Anna Ravn and Marie Adrian, advised BT newspaper that they noticed a person stroll as much as Frederiksen after which “push her onerous on the shoulder in order that she was pushed apart.” They emphasised that the Prime Minister didn’t fall.
One other witness, Kasper Jørgensen, advised the tabloid Ekstra Bladet {that a} well-dressed man, who gave the impression to be a part of Frederiksen’s safety unit, and a police officer had taken down the alleged attacker.
Søren Kjærgaard, who labored at a neighborhood bar in Kultorvet Sq. the place the incident happened, advised the BT that he noticed Frederiksen after the incident and that she had no seen accidents to her face however rapidly walked away.
Politicians within the Scandinavian nation and overseas condemned the reported assault.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson stated that “an assault on a democratically elected chief can also be an assault on our democracy,” whereas European Council President Charles Michel condemned X for what he known as a “cowardly act of aggression.”
European Union parliamentary elections are at present underway in Denmark and the remainder of the 27-nation bloc and can conclude on Sunday.
Frederiksen has campaigned with the Social Democrats’ EU management candidate, Christel Schaldemose. In accordance with media experiences, the assault was not linked to any marketing campaign occasion.
Violence in opposition to politicians has turn into a theme within the run-up to the EU elections. In Might there was a candidate from the centre-left Social Democrats in Germany overwhelmed and critically injured throughout their marketing campaign for a seat within the European Parliament.
In Slovakia the election marketing campaign was overshadowed by an tried homicide Populist Prime Minister Robert Fico on Might 15 despatched shockwaves by means of the nation of 5.4 million and reverberated throughout Europe.
Assaults on politicians in Denmark are uncommon.
On March 23, 2003, two activists in parliament threw pink paint at then Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen and had been instantly arrested. International Minister Per Stig Møller additionally needed to take care of some splashes that day.
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David Keyton in Berlin contributed to this report.
